


Line Work

by paradisedise



Series: Won't Settle For No Less [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 14:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10810806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradisedise/pseuds/paradisedise
Summary: “Did you bring anything for show and tell, Mr. Taeyong?” a little girl with pigtails asked, head tilted.“Actually, I did,” Taeyong admitted with a grin.  The class erupted into chatter, a few kids running up to to tug on the bottom of his shirt, unbearably curious.





	Line Work

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [NCTprompts](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/NCTprompts) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Taeyong is a preschool teacher and his boyfriend Jaehyun is a tattoo artist. Jaehyun one day comes in during show and tell and all the kids are mildly afraid of him at first, but then he smiles with his cute dimples and the kids are fascinated with his pretty tattoos.

“Mr. Taeyong?”

“Yes?”

“Today is show and tell.” 

The preschoolers were more rambunctious than usual today, given the special occasion. Taeyong was having trouble keeping the lot of them calm while they all prepared to show the thing they brought in. They were talking animatedly to each other and it made Taeyong smile to see them so excited. 

“I know that. Are you excited to show everyone what you brought?” Taeyong crouched down to talk to the student who talked to him. His cheeks were ruddy with enthusiasm and he clutched a stuffed animal to his chest. He nodded eagerly and squeezed the doll harder. 

Three year olds weren’t very good at knowing how to make decisions amongst themselves so Taeyong drew names from a hat to decide who was going to go first. Ten pairs of big eyes were staring at him as he reached his hand into the hat and pulled out the first name. Strangely, the little boy who Taeyong had just talked to was first up. He shot up from the carpet and ran to the front of the classroom, stumbling over the edge of the rug. The boy stuck his arms out to show all of the students his stuffed animal. 

“This is my favorite teddy bear and his name is Steve,” the boy said, proudly. His face was tinged red.

“Who gave you Steve?” Taeyong asked him.

“Grandma gave me him for my birthday!” he said happily, a large grin spreading on his face. “Grandma gave me him and I love grandma so Steve is really special.” The little boy ran back to his spot and the carpet and sat down.

Students were called up one by one, all equally endearing with the things they brought for show and tell. Highlight items were a pack of fruit snacks, a single shoe that one little girl found on the beach, and a DVD of a Pixar movie. Taeyong remembered being that excited about simple little things like that when he was little. He was pretty excited at the moment, though, albeit a little bit nervous. The kids finished up and Taeyong was the center of their attention again.

“Did you bring anything for show and tell, Mr. Taeyong?” a little girl with pigtails asked, head tilted. 

“Actually, I did,” Taeyong admitted with a grin. The class erupted into chatter, a few kids running up to to tug on the bottom of his shirt, unbearably curious.

“What is it?” a little one with freckles asked from the back of the room. “What is it, Mr. Taeyong?” 

“It’s actually a person, not a thing.” The children got even louder, some of them standing up and jumping in place. “But if you all can’t be quiet and sit down then you can’t meet them!” Taeyong said, raising his voice. 

“Who is it?” the teddy bear boy asked. 

“It’s someone very special to me,” Taeyong said, a fond warmth blooming in his chest. “I need you guys to be very quiet so I can bring him in. He’s nice, so if you want to ask him a question you just need to raise your hand and he’ll call on you.” A few kids in the group nodded.

“I’m gonna go get him now, everyone stay seated!” Taeyong cracked open the door, peering around the corner at the person waiting in the hallway. “We’re ready for you,” he said softly, a smile on his face. His boyfriend, leaning on the wall, grinned and walked towards the door. Taeyong had wanted to introduce his students to Jaehyun for a while now, and show and tell was the perfect time to do it. Children don’t normally understand boundaries so they had been relentless, asking Taeyong whether he was married or had someone special. It had been a secret until this point, but today his students were finally going to meet him. Jaehyun walked inside and the room went even more silent than it already was. 

Taeyong was wondering whether this was going to happen. His boyfriend maybe wasn’t the most approachable looking guy. Jaehyun worked as a tattoo artist and he had quite a few tattoos himself in addition to the metal adorning his ears and the shaved side of his head. Taeyong had told him to dress somewhat conservatively and Jaehyun had done so, wearing a sweater and jeans. The rolled up cuffs showed off the colorful sleeves that were inked into his forearms. The eyes of the students were wide and glassy, and Taeyong felt a little awkward.

“So, everyone, this is Mr. Jaehyun,” Taeyong started, breaking the silence. “Does anyone have any questions for him?”

One student hesitantly raised her hand. “Mr. Jaehyun?” her voice trembled, sounding terrified. “What’s on your arm?” 

Jaehyun paused for a moment, choosing the right words as to not scare the kids any more. “It’s a tattoo. It’s like a drawing on your skin that doesn’t go away.” 

“It doesn’t go away, like ever?” the same student inquired.

“Nope! Unless you go to a doctor and get it taken off.” Jaehyun smiled, sweet indents dimpling his cheeks. Taeyong beamed--he knew the kids couldn’t help but fall for those dimples and Jaehyun’s chocolatey-rich voice just like he did. 

A couple more students raised their hands. They were starting to get a little antsy, excited that there was someone new in the room. Jaehyun shifted his weight and called on the little girl with the pigtails. “Does it hurt to get a tattoo?” 

“It can, but not too bad! My job is to give people tattoos and most people really like them so it’s okay if it hurts.” 

“I want a tattoo!” 

“Me too!”

The kids were chattering now, and Taeyong didn’t want any parents angry with him so he tried to calm them down. Preschool parents could be pretty overbearing and he knew that a furious email would come his way if one of their kids came home and said they wanted a tattoo. “Okay everyone, let’s quiet down. Does anyone else have questions for Mr. Jaehyun?” 

About seven hands shot up. Taeyong called on the teddy bear student. “Did you always wanna be a tattoo artist when you grew up?” 

“Not always. When I was younger I wanted to be a singer. What do you want to be when you grow up?” The way Jaehyun was with children was heart warmingly endearing to Taeyong.

“I want to be a strawberry!”

“Okay, dream big.” 

Another student spoke up. “How did you meet Mr. Taeyong?” 

A slight flush colored the tips of Jaehyun’s ears. “Uh, we met when he came into where I work.” 

“Does that mean Mr. Taeyong has a tattoo?” One child nearly screeched. Taeyong turned beet red. “Where is it?” 

Feeling Taeyong’s distress, Jaehyun tried to change the subject. “What else does everyone want to be when the grow up?” 

Several children shouted out answers (“Doctor!” “Teacher!” “Movie star!” “Lizard!”). Watching Jaehyun talk to the kids from the side of the room had Taeyong thinking. Jaehyun was so lovely, with the slope of his nose and the flutter of his eyelashes. The strong set of his shoulders and the way his nose crinkled when he laughed made Taeyong’s stomach flip. The thing that Taeyong loved the most, though, was how gentle, how kind Jaehyun was. Seeing him with the students made that more obvious than ever. Taeyong smiled.

Glancing up at the clock, Taeyong saw that it was time to wrap up show and tell. “I think Mr. Jaehyun has to leave now,” he said, pouting his lips. The children all whined in protest, begging him not to go.

“You guys gotta move on with the rest of your school day!” Jaehyun supplied, and that seemed to satisfy the kids. They still all looked sad but at least they weren’t giving Taeyong a hard time anymore. Taeyong walked Jaehyun to the door and stepped out in the hallway. 

“I’ll pick you up later, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Taeyong said. He knew he was going to miss Jaehyun for the rest of the day until he could see him again. Jaehyun leaned in and pressed a kiss to Taeyong’s forehead, lingering for a moment. The shorter closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of being close to his boyfriend while he could. Jaehyun kissed him again on the cheek and said goodbye and Taeyong watched him leave. Those jeans looked good on him. 

When Taeyong went back into the classroom, the students were talking amongst themselves. Pigtails spoke up. “We all love Mr. Jaehyun and he should come back sometime.” 

I love him too, is what Taeyong wanted to say. “We’ll see. Maybe if you’re good!” 

The children were perfectly behaved for the rest of the day.

When the last kid was finally picked up, Taeyong locked up the room and walked out to the front circle to find Jaehyun’s car waiting for him. Taeyong slipped in and leaned in to kiss Jaehyun lightly on the mouth. 

“How was the rest of your day, baby?” 

“The kids all like you more than they like me!” Taeyong pouted, only half meaning it. 

“That’s not true, they love you,” Jaehyun countered. Taeyong leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, not actually angry. Jaehyun chuckled. 

“How are you so good with kids?” 

“We’re both good with kids, Taeyongie,” Jaehyun smiled, a hint of shyness on his face. Glancing at Taeyong from the corner of his eye, he turned and leaned in to kiss Taeyong a little deeper. Taeyong brought his hands up to Jaehyun’s cheeks, cupping the warmth and feeling his dimples as the taller smiled into the kiss. “We’re both going to be good with kids, too.” 

Taeyong grinned at what he knew Jaehyun was implying.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in record time because i was procrastinating on my finals so hard. i saw this prompt and it killed me cause it was so cute, i had a lot of fun writing this! comments and kudos always appreciated :) 
> 
> (ps. anyone else up for more installments in this au?)  
> (pps. [these](https://www.askideas.com/media/49/Colorful-Dragon-With-Tiger-And-Flowers-Tattoo-On-Man-Full-Sleeve-By-Federico-Ferroni.jpg) and [these](http://www.menstattooideas.net/tattooimages/2015/06/sleeve-12.jpg) are what i had in mind for jaehyun's tattoos)


End file.
